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Podcasting Blog
Voice Over Training
5/10/2008
One of the obvious aspects of podcasting is using your voice. And using it properly. If you’re looking for some more information about how to improve your voice technique in your podcast, I’d suggest checking out the Voice Over Experts Podcast from Voices.com.
Audacity Updated
5/09/2008
The very popular among podcasters audio recording application, Audacity has received an update. Podcasting News has a full rundown of the changes, including many bug fixes. It is nice to see some interface fixes, too, as I’ve felt Audacity has always suffered on the UI side.
Got a Podcaster Birthday Coming Up?
2/14/2008
Don’t forget that I’ve put together the finest collection of gifts for your favorite podcasting friend, family member, neighbor, or stranger! This isn’t just a list for holiday gifts, but great to find something to buy for a birthday gift or something for yourself, too. Filled with books, hardware and more, the store is broken out into … Continue reading »
Hardware Recommendations
- Kustom KM4 Mic with Cable
- Behringer XM8500 Microphone
- Shure SM58 Mic
- MXL MXL V63MBP Computer Desktop Recording Kit
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Ryan Irelan, Editor - listen@podcastfreeamerica.com
G - ABC of Podcasting: How to get guests on your podcast.
G is for GUESTS
So, for the last six months you’ve been doing a podcast about your favorite topic and want to invite others to be on your show. It’ll help mix things up, you think, it’ll score you some new listeners. Well, both could be true. However, you shouldn’t just blindly jump into inviting guests onto your podcast. This article presents you with some food for thought about guests, interviewing and credibility.
Are guests necessary for your podcast?
Not every podcast should have guests. But almost every podcast could have guests. That’s a good starting point.
Why so confusing? Well, because there’s no forumla for what podcast would be good for guests, it really depends on a lot of things. Unless your podcast is a reading of your writing or a format that doesn’t include talking (yes, there are some out there), you can probably fit guests into your format. But that doesn’t mean you should. Read the rest of this essay to determine if you’re ready to add guests and interview them. Having a successful interview with a quality guest (i.e. not your cat meowing randomly into the microphone) isn’t simple, but it ain’t rocket science either.
How to recruit guests. Finding the right guest.
Plan ahead. My first bit of advice would be to plan ahead. If you are planning to have a guest that isn’t a close friend (or relative), you should be scheduling guests at least two weeks ahead. This may seem like a long time, but people are busy and if someone is going to take time to be on your podcast, you’ll want to be courteous and accomodating.
You should know the topic of the show and have a rough outline of what you want to cover before contacting your potential guests. Having an outline will also help you better gauage which guest will be the best fit. Don’t have a guest on that is only marginally important to the topic you’re covering. Find the most qualified guests you can. This doesn’t mean you try to score an interview with Steve Jobs on your Apple/Mac-themed podcast. Know your limitations and where you fit into the podcasting/media space. The more interviews you do and the larger audience you have are things that will determine whether or not you get the big interviews. Interviewing relatively unknown guests whoe are experts in the topic at hand can be a real rewarding experience for your listeners. Go for quality not celebrity.
Have a backup plan. Guests can and will back out or refuse to be on your podcast. Have a backup plan and keep one or two people in mind who can fill in, if needed. That being said, I’d also advise strongly against double booking guests. While you may be covering your butt in the event that one guest backs out, you won’t be making any friends if have to tell someone they can’t be on your show, after already confirming them.
And you are?? If you’re contacting potential guests that are outside your personal network, expect a little hesitancy from them about appearing on your podcast. Don’t blame them. It is your job to prove to them that you and your show are worth their time and that you are reputable and providing a quality product to listeners. The onus is on you, the podcaster, to make sure potential guests are confident in your podcast and your ability to conduct a conherent, useful interview.
Create a page on your website for potential guests. Include on this page: a concise description of the podcast, a short bio of you, samples of past podcasts and a list of previous guests. When you send inquiries to potential guests, be sure to include a link to this guest information page.
Planning for your interview. Steps to take to be sure your interview goes well.
Be Prepared. If this is your first interview, listen to some radio or watch some television interviews (not the junk on cable news, but something good like Charlie Rose) and observe techniques and tactics. A good interviewer is always in control while appearing to allow the conversation to flow naturally. Do you think Charlie Rose just lets his guests blab on and on and hopes that it ends up to be an interesting interview? Heck no. Charlie has probably done his research (or had others do it for him) and knows exactly what he wants to ask and where he wants to end. He makes it look effortless because he’s a superior interviewer.
Remember that rough outline I talked about? Revise it and make a solid show plan with key topics you’ll want to cover and questions for each topic. As the host, it is your job to make sure that all of the topics are covered. You do this by delicately directing the guest  through interjections and new questions  to the next topic. This will keep the show interesting and, most importantly, on topic.
Following up after the interview
After your interview, you should send the guest a thank you email and a copy of the podcast (or a link to download). If you previously agreed to let them preview the podcast first, be sure to do that before you post it to your website (or elsewhere) for the public to download. Stay in contact with the guest and perhaps even ask if they’d be willing to be a reference for any future guests (and listed on your guest information page).
This isn’t an exact science, but with these tips, you should be well on your way to securing quality guests and creating interesting and thought-provoking interviews. Good luck!
This is part of the series ABC of Podcasting from Podcast Free America.
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